Parwinder Sandhu
New Delhi, January 10 (UNI) Their love story began in a school corridor, where they dreamt of a beautiful and everlasting future. But the fairytale ended with the echo of gunfire in a distant forest of Kashmir, which silenced their laughter and shattered the world they had imagined together.
On October 10, time stood still for Marifa Banoo of Mukdampora, Nowgam, when she received the news that her husband, Rifleman Hilal Ahmad Bhat of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles, had been killed in a counter-terrorist operation in the Sheikhpora forests. The couple had been married for nine years.
On Saturday, thousands of miles from home, in the national capital, Marifa stood not only as a grieving ‘veer nari’ but also as the custodian of a nation’s gratitude, receiving the Sena Medal (Gallantry), the final, solemn reminder of the boy she had fallen in love with and the soldier who laid down his life. The bravery award was presented posthumously during the Western Command Investiture ceremony, held at the Manekshaw Centre.
“He fought the world to marry me and today I stand here alone,” Banoo said with tears welling up in her eyes. “My husband was a son of the soil and he died safeguarding it against the enemy. I am proud of the legacy he has left for my children and me,” said Banoo as her youngest child, a 2.5-year-old daughter, playfully clung to her.
Son of a porter, 26-year-old Bhat a resident of Mukdampora, Nowgam, had joined TA 162 unit in 2019. During a joint operation launched on October 8, 2024, based on specific intelligence inputs in the Sheikhpora Forest, Bhat, who was deployed in 19 Rashtriya Rifles, along with his buddy, closed in on suspicious movement. The duo was suddenly confronted at close range by terrorists lying in wait.
Sensing the imminent threat, Rifleman Bhat fearlessly counter-challenged the terrorists in a close-quarter engagement, deliberately drawing enemy fire upon himself to allow his buddy to disengage, move to safety and alert other surveillance teams.
Despite being repeatedly fired upon, he continued to engage the terrorists until his comrade was clear of danger. In the course of this gallant action, Rifleman Hilal Ahmad Bhat sustained multiple gunshot wounds and succumbed to his injuries.
Remembering her husband, Banoo said her husband brought ‘Izzat’ for the entire family. “My son, who is now 6.5 years old, remembers his father every night. He asks me to take him to his father. Every day I tell him a new story as to why I can’t,” said Banoo.
